80: Chapter 80 Battle Line Contraction

With a heavy heart, Commander Dante ordered all units to pull back their defensive lines. Having lost the protection of the void shields, the Blood Angels had no choice but to contract their defensive lines, narrowing their perimeter to hold out for a longer duration.

Upon receiving the order, the Blood Angels began to retreat in an orderly fashion.

However, the Tyranids clearly would not let such a good opportunity pass them by.

A massive barrage of bio-bombs slammed into the Fortress of Angels, destroying its outer walls.

Countless Tyranid Warriors poured in like a flood.

"Brothers, organize the defensive line and counterattack!"

"For the Emperor! For Sanguinius!"

The roar of Bolters and the screeching of chainswords mingled with the shrieks of the Tyranid Warriors, shaking the very ground.

The Astartes clearly would not allow the Tyranids to breach and destroy the outer walls so easily.

The roar of Bolters and the buzzing of power sword energy fields filled the air.

Although the soldiers temporarily suppressed the advancing Tyranid forces with heavy firepower, more and more Tyranids poured in through the ever-expanding breaches.

"Brothers, fall back!"

In the ensuing battle, the casualty rate of the Blood Angels remained alarmingly high.

During this time, more and more sons of Sanguinius were killed in action.

Hundreds upon hundreds of warriors were consumed in the battle against the Tyranids, with some successor chapters even being completely wiped out.

As the Tyranids infiltrated the second defensive line, the Imperial communication network suffered severe damage.

The communication network of the Fortress of Angels became a primary target for the enemy.

Yet even so, Commander Dante did not abandon hope, for he knew that after the previous brutal battles, the Tyranid Swarm had also suffered heavy losses.

Furthermore, because of the destruction of the surrounding systems, they could not obtain effective reinforcements within the Baal System.

Both sides had poured almost everything they had into securing victory in this battle.

Currently, the main defenses of the Fortress of Angels remained relatively intact, and Dante still had thousands of men under his command.

Since the Battle of Baal began, they had killed countless enemies, and they would kill many more to come.

As long as the Archangel's descendants still drew breath, once the Tyranid Swarm had exhausted all of its biomass, victory would belong to humanity.

With the communication systems in the Fortress of Angels paralyzed by the enemy, the mortal conscripts from earlier were pressed into service once again.

Countless mortals darted through the various corridors of the Fortress of Angels, delivering various orders and intelligence to the Blood Angels.

"Brother Chen, I can't go on."

"Little brother, hold on. We're about to win."

In a narrow corridor, Old Chen said urgently while carrying a noticeably frail youth on his back.

Just as Old Chen wanted to say more, a Tyranid Warrior suddenly appeared in front of them and charged toward the two of them, claws bared.

Old Chen and the youth squeezed their eyes shut in fear, and it was only after a long while that they tremblingly opened them.

What met their eyes was Yang Gao, gripping a power sword, having pierced the skull of the Tyranid Warrior in a single strike.

"Are you alright?"

"...I'm fine."

"Lord Angel, do you think we can win?"

Yang Gao looked over at the youth being carried by Old Chen; although the youth's face was pale, his eyes were exceptionally resolute.

Silence stretched for a long time, broken only by the rhythmic dripping of water from a discarded pipe.

"We will, for the Archangel watches over us. For the Emperor, for Sanguinius, for... humanity!"